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Also, are we really complaining that they are not developing players like the Orioles? The Orioles have done a horrible job developing players, especially pitchers. The Red Sox have done a damn good job developing players the last 10 years, they know what they are doing.

Red Sox prospect Anthony Ranaudo, who last pitched on July 3 before being shut down due to dead arm, may not pitch again for Double-A Portland this year. According to a team source, an MRI on his shoulder came back clean, but his progress of rebuilding arm strength has nonetheless been more deliberate than expected. As such, while the Sox have not made a final decision, the odds are growing that the team will elect not to have him pitch again in Double-A this year, and instead have him continue on a steady progression to pitch again in Florida instructional league (after the end of the season for minor league affiliates) and perhaps in winter ball.

Ranaudo has struggled with injuries this year, as a slight groin injury in spring training prevented him from starting his season until mid-May. Once on the mound in Portland, he struggled with his mechanics for most of his nine starts, resulting in not just a 1-3 record, 6.69 ERA and command struggles (he both walked and struck out 27 batters in 37 2/3 innings), but also the loss of fastball velocity.

For more on Ranaudo and the Red Sox farm system, click here for the Minor League Roundup. For complete Red Sox coverage, visit weei.com/redsox.

Xander Bogaerts was one of just two 19-year-old position players deemed worthy of an assignment to the High-A Carolina League to start this season. Not only did the highly regarded Red Sox prospect prove that he belonged at that level; he actually outperformed it, resulting in a promotion on Thursday from Salem to Double-A Portland. He is the only 19-year-old currently in the Eastern League.

"He's done a great job there [and] has all season," said Sox farm director Ben Crockett of Bogaerts' performance in Salem. "At this point, about a month left in the season, [we] felt it was the right time to push him up, coming off a streak of really good performance over the last week or 10 days. I thought it was the right time to go."

Bogaerts put up numbers that ranked among the best in the Carolina League this year. In 104 games, the shortstop out of Aruba hit .302 with a .378 OBP, .505 slugging mark, .883 OPS, 15 homers and 64 RBI, all numbers that ranked among the top 10 in the league. After an up-and-down first two months of the year, he dominated over the last two-plus months, hitting .340 with a .427 OBP, .593 slugging mark, 1.020 OPS and 11 homers in his last 55 games, and Carolina League observers suggest that his considerable power totals were held down by the enormous dimensions of the park in which he played, which tended to turn opposite-field launches into doubles rather than homers.

"I think a lot of it is just making the adjustments to the pitching he was facing, seeing more off-speed," said Crockett. "You have to continue to do that as you go up, see more off-speed in fastball counts. He was probably kind of dealing with the reputation he created for himself last year by putting up pretty good numbers in Greenville, making himself a target. Tried to do a little too much early on and made a pretty nice adjustment over the course of the year."

The teenager's performance, coupled with tremendous off-field maturity, helped to convince the Sox to move him up the ladder.

"Not only the game and his abilities, but also his personality, character, ability to handle such a promotion to that level at that age, made him a candidate for it," said Crockett. "Nineteen in Double-A is a pretty unusual thing.

"He's certainly shown that he outperformed the level. Based on the way he's carrying himself and his mental readiness for that step, we felt like now was the time," he added. "To make the quick progression he made from the DSL to extended last year, where we were, 'Boy, we're pretty excited about what we saw in spring training this year,' but trying to put it in context, not wanting to move too quickly at 18. He didn't show a lot of need to be as hesitant as we were to start the year. He was ready to move on."

Oh, and BTW, about calling prospects up from below AAA, here's another reason: Most of them probably aren't on the 40 man roster, so calling them up would require putting them on the 40 man roster... which, if the 40MR is already full, would require removing someone already on it. And since players #26-40 on the 40MR roster are sort of like the team's taxi squad, anyone you put on the 40 MR had better be someone you can see calling up to the big club in case of injury, etc.

I don't see Bogearts as a good player to move to the 40 MR because I just don't think that he's close enough to being ready that the Sox would want him taking up a 40MR roster spot. However, JBJr is close enough it's not entirely impossible that the Sox might call him up in September, and I could see him being worthy of an injury related call-up, thus making his presence on the 40 MR justifiable and not a waste of the roster spot. Frankly, I think that it's a bit early to be calling up JBJr (as a Sept callup), but not ridiculously so.

I dont think they will call him up regardless of injuries. I think we'd see Hassan and Linares before him. Plus Nava is coming back, and Ciriaco has already played some OF for us. He's not ready and IMO not much good could come from a JBJ call up.

Boy, if Xander keeps raking at Double A, we might see him in Boston ealier than expected, right? Is "september 2013 call-up" a reasonable goal?

Don't count on it. I can only assume he is going to struggle in AA for the remainder of the season. Very young, needs time to adapt to the change in the level in pitching. A+ to AA is probably the biggest jump in talent level of pitching.

If he absolutely rakes next year and get called up to AAA and continues to do so, then maybe. But i would say he gets called up in 2014 either because of injury (like a WMB scenario) or around mid year.

I bet the Sox are hoping for the WMB effect to happen with Bogaerts. Last year WMB was called up to Pawtucket at the end of the season and hit .175, but we all know how insane he was hitting in AAA to begin this season.

If he rakes and our SS is struggling it's a strong possibility. I expect he will probably struggle during the beginning of next season as he adjusts to a tougher level in cold weather. If he rakes in AA it's time to get very excited.

I'm trying (and failing) to contain my excitement until he does well in AA

Love reading this

“Here, they just pound them, and here, they control it for strikes, so that makes it even tougher,” Bogaerts said. “I just got to learn how to lay back on the ones in the dirt, swing at the good ones, or if I have one strike, just leave it because I have another strike more. With experience, I’ll get there.”

Manna Machado got called up today... and is playing 3rd base. Surprised me. Bogaerts is in a situation similar to Machado's last season, so i guess its not out of the realm of possibility that we see him a bit next year. But i really dont think Machado is ready, especially for 3rd base. His numbers this year are modest at AA, dont see how hes earned the call.

Also, id like to add that i think the Sox should call Iggy up now. I think he'll be a bum, but i dont see why hes in AAA anymore. Hes really not developing anything new. Aviles has been a nightmare at the plate anyway, so why not give him a chance now in an off year?